Waiting in front of Big Box			2004103001.jpg
	We all were told to meet in front of Big Box at around 9:00 in the morning, so we did just that. I was the first one there and stood up on the top of those stairs for a while until some more people showed up. It was drizzling a little bit and was sort of chilly, but other than that it was okay. Nobody was really sure what was going to happen during our trip, so everyone was kind of... not really nervous, but not too sure they wanted to really go, I guess.
	640x480	78537 bytes	JPEG Image	10/30/2004

	Lions banner			2004103002.jpg
	The Lions is the local baseball team that everyone in the area roots for, and they won the Japan Series! You can't go anywhere without seeing Lions banners and posters up all over the place. But hey, they've got a really cool mascot, so I don't mind seeing it all the time!
	480x640	74262 bytes	JPEG Image	10/30/2004

	Matt's suit			2004103003.jpg
	Matt decided to wear his awesome suit to the resort, which is the same suit he wore on his trip over to Japan. He looks ready to go. *laughs*
	480x640	81619 bytes	JPEG Image	10/30/2004

	Mountains 1			2004103004.jpg
	On our way to Karuizawa, we passed through a lot of mountains with breathtaking views. This (as well as the following two pictures) were taken at a rest stop in Ueno, I think.
	640x480	40555 bytes	JPEG Image	10/30/2004

	Mountains 2			2004103005.jpg
	More mountains. I'm pretty sure our bus is the one on the far right (I think I can see Rob's incredible height standing in the doorway). And yes, buses here open on the other side. Why? Because you drive on the other side of the road! The light sculpture on the left looks cool too, I think.
	640x480	38342 bytes	JPEG Image	10/30/2004

	Mountains 3			2004103006.jpg
	And... more mountains! There were mountains all over the place, but that really only makes sense since Japan is essentially a mountain range sticking out of the ocean. These twin peaks were shot from the inside of the bus through the window; if you look closely, you can see reflections on the glass. Ooh.
	640x480	32878 bytes	JPEG Image	10/30/2004

	Arriving at the lodge			2004103007.jpg
	After about three hours on the bus, we finally made it to the Karuizawa lodge in Nagano. This is a shot down a long path to some stairs that lead to a soccer field. It hadn't started raining yet, and it was cold enough to see your breath. The clouds on the top of the mountain were really cool.
	640x480	61414 bytes	JPEG Image	10/30/2004

	Playing tongues			2004103008.jpg
	Before your gutterminds start jumping to conclusions, allow me to explain. First of all, this was the room in which my group of about ten guys stayed for the night. The room was filled with tatami mats and sliding doors, and there was no heating except for a small space heater on the far end. We spread out a blanket so we could pick up cards easier as we played a slightly modified version of the great game Spoons: since we had no spoons, the last person to stick their tongue out upon getting a four-of-a-kind lost. It was hard, though, because you had to check to see whose tongue was out last, and after three or four rounds we kind of gave up. We would have used cell phones, but people thought they would be too hard to reach... and later we used the ace cards, but they got bent up. It was fun while it lasted, though. While you couldn't see your breath in this room usually, you could in the hallways. Good stuff.
	640x480	55642 bytes	JPEG Image	10/30/2004

	After-dinner party			2004103009.jpg
	After dinner, we had a group discussion about our host families and our experience in Japan thus far in general. Then there was a party with all sorts of snacks and drinks. As I often do, I just had to snap a picture or two of people having fun. ^__^
	640x480	53619 bytes	JPEG Image	10/30/2004

	Jinbei's pumpkin			2004103010.jpg
	Jinbei and a few others busted out the pumpkins (actually, pumpkin halves...) and made some Jack-O-Lanterns. Minus the lantern, of course. One guy used a coat hanger to scoop out the insides of his half-pumpkin... quite amusing if I do say so myself!
	640x480	50714 bytes	JPEG Image	10/30/2004

	Cheesy group shot			2004103011.jpg
	Unfortunately, this picture turned out a little blurry, but it's still okay. Why is it cheesy? Well, we all look like goofs. But aside from that, Suzie and I are eating these little strips of cheese and dried cod, which were really yummy. If I remember correctly, Wade has some squid jerky in his hands, which was also yummy. They sound weird, but these fishy snack foods are actually tasty and aren't any weirder than pork rinds or nachos. I still am freaked out about pork rinds, though. o_O;;
	640x480	46451 bytes	JPEG Image	10/30/2004

	Pocky wars			2004103012.jpg
	During our first rest stop on the way to the lodge (during which I didn't get any pictures), some guys went out and bought these inflatable Pocky... things. They were totally nuts: they flew through the air like magic, they sounded metallic when you smacked them together, and you could hit people with them and they wouldn't feel a thing. We think they were filled with carbon dioxide or something, because they sure didn't act like "normal" oxygen balloons. Here, Wade and Aaron clash swords in the ultimate POCKY WARS!!!
	640x480	39471 bytes	JPEG Image	10/30/2004

	Piling up the futons			2004103101.jpg
	We woke up at 7:30 to the sound of some very wake-up-y music playing through speakers we had no idea were there, and after breakfast we cleaned up our futons. Here you can see a little bit of the mess we made. I thought it was going to be super-cold there... but these futons are AMAZINGLY warm. I actually didn't sleep with the full load piled on top of me... I would have been too hot otherwise! I swear, you could probably sleep outside in the snow on a futon and you'd be toasty. Well, maybe not for TOO long, but you know what I mean.
	640x480	54102 bytes	JPEG Image	10/31/2004

	Pocky Ninja			2004103102.jpg
	Aaron has mastered the dark arts of the Pocky Ninja. The only time you see these guys is right before they impale you with a giant inflatable Pocky... thing. I'm alive today because I was looking the other way while my camera flashed on its own. Okay, not really. I thought it was amusing, though.
	640x480	60829 bytes	JPEG Image	10/31/2004

	On top of the stairs			2004103103.jpg
	This is a shot looking from the top of this staircase that we saw when we first drove into the lodge. Off to the left is where our cabins were. Awesome view.
	640x480	53661 bytes	JPEG Image	10/31/2004

	Soccer field 1			2004103104.jpg
	On top of those stiars there was a soccer field that was pretty large... maybe it was two smooshed toegether. Got a shot looking left...
	640x480	53414 bytes	JPEG Image	10/31/2004

	Soccer field 2			2004103105.jpg
	...and another looking left. Pretty empty now, but that's amazing in itself. Wide open space in Japan with nobody in it? Unheard of!
	640x480	36085 bytes	JPEG Image	10/31/2004

	Bears, oh my			2004103106.jpg
	Gotta watch out for them bears and wild boars. They sneak up on you when you least expect it. o_O;
	640x480	105952 bytes	JPEG Image	10/31/2004

	Through the woods			2004103107.jpg
	Wade and I went walking through the deep woods after breakfast, and we got to see some awesome sights like this and the pictures that follow. Wade's a great guy... too bad he'll be leaving in December.
	640x480	111455 bytes	JPEG Image	10/31/2004

				2004103108.jpg
	640x480	106047 bytes	JPEG Image

				2004103109.jpg
	640x480	134429 bytes	JPEG Image

				2004103110.jpg
	640x480	54475 bytes	JPEG Image

				2004103111.jpg
	640x480	123647 bytes	JPEG Image

				2004103112.jpg
	640x480	61853 bytes	JPEG Image

				2004103113.jpg
	640x480	50571 bytes	JPEG Image

All content ©2004-05 Greg Strnad.
All rights reserved.